Review: STEPMOM
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, Ed Harris, Jena Malone,
Liam Aiken
Directed by: Chris Columbus
Review by: Joy Wyse, the SILVER Screen critic
When a noted photographer becomes involved with a recently divorced man, she also becomes involved with his two children and his ex-wife. All of the Actors are perfectly cast in their roles. They all play likeable people with problems. Although this combination is sure to be a crowd-pleaser the movie lacks a lot in the art of filmmaking. The editing and continuity leave a lot to be desired. The film literally jumps from scene to scene as we progress deeper into their lives. In an opening scene, Isabel, [Julia Roberts] trips over a rabbit, the pet of the son, Ben [Liam Aiken], who imagines himself a magician. We never see the rabbit again.
Later Isabel presents the children with a dog. When Ben is found at the police station following his disappearance, the dog is with him but they must have left the dog with the cops because he's never seen again either. One minute we're in the midst of Halloween. The next you know, it's suddenly Thanksgiving. When the story begins, Isabel is not a Stepmom. She is simply a woman in love who questions whether or not she is capable and willing to take on a ready made family.
Susan Sarandon as the mother, Jackie, makes a nice transition from being a bitter resentful divorcee to a more likeable person. It gives her a chance for an Oscar nomination. She's done much better than this, however. Ed Harris as Luke, the father, is neither too good nor too unfeeling. He makes you understand how it is to be divorced, engaged, and a very good Dad. The children are typical kids. If anyone deserves a nomination it should be for Best Supporting Actress for Jena Malone as Anna, the daughter. Her performance is so natural that you don't realize she's acting. It's a very intense role for someone so young. She shouldn't be dismissed because of her age. Basically the plot is about the power struggle that develops between the two women. Julia simply wants to be accepted while Susan wants to be remembered. It becomes more serious as the movie unfolds. All in all, the second half of the film drags on and on. It should have been re-titled `The Long Goodbye'. The audience cried a lot, but that doesn't make it good. I give it a B.
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